Cannabis on the Menu at Your Next Hotel Restaurant or Spa?

Derek Simcik, the executive chef at The Thompson Seattle, prepared these place settings for his seven-course, cannabis-inspired dinner, highlighting ways marijuana can be paired with — and in — food.CreditCreditAmber Fouts

By Shivani Vora |

More hotels and resorts plan to offer cannabis-based menu items and wellness treatments, as laws around the country relax toward medicinal and recreational use of the drug. And customers — both locals and guests — seem to be thoroughly enjoying them.

Cannabidiol (CBD) Cocktails and Desserts in Hollywood

Jessica Schupack, a Los Angeles resident who works in marketing is a regular at the Hollywood Roosevelt, where she loves ordering the mojito ($18) infused with cannabidiol (CBD), a nonintoxicating compound found in the cannabis plant. “Part of the reason I have a drink is to relax, and the relaxation effect of this mojito is even more profound,” she said.

Ms. Schupack was tempted to try the CBD cocktail, she said, because she was hearing constant talk about cannabis-infused food and drinks. “Everyone I know was all excited about the prospect so I got into the idea, too,” she said.

The Hollywood Roosevelt began offering the mojito earlier this year, and at the same time, also introduced three CBD desserts ($10 each): a lemon bar with frozen yogurt and a raspberry crumble, a green apple Bavarian cream and a yogurt panna cotta with macerated berries.

According to Peter Hansen, the property’s director of food and beverage, the CBD menu has been a big success. “All the items are frequently ordered, and our customers keep asking us for more options,” he said.

CBD Spa Treatments in Napa

Also in California, the Spa Solage at Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection, in Napa Valley, launched a massage, facial and body scrub ($160 to $420) which all incorporate a CBD oil, an anti-inflammatory that is supposed to help with insomnia, pain relief, anxiety and eczema. (The oil does not contain THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana.)

Peggy O’Shaughnessy of Austin, Tex., and her daughter, Claire Rivers, booked CBD facials at the spa in August, and Ms. O’Shaughnessy said that the experience was unlike any other facial they’ve had. “Claire wanted to see if the facial would help her inflammation, and it made a big difference,” she said. “For me, it was so deeply relaxing. I could feel a difference compared with other facials.”

Body Wraps with Sage, Lavender and CBD in Colorado

The spa at the St Julien Hotel & Spa, in Boulder, Colo., also has several new CBD treatments (none contain THC) including a classic massage, a deep tissue massage and a service called the Ultimate Colorado Bliss Experience (from $160 to $295) that includes a rose sugar scrub, a body wrap with lavender and sage CBD-infused body butters and scalp and body massages. “Given all the research about the benefits of CBD, we couldn’t not offer these,” said Susan Hunnell, the spa’s director.

One of the spa’s massage therapists, Nadene Moccia, said that many of her regular clients are thrilled about the services. “Since marijuana became legal in Colorado, I’ve had clients ask if we could give treatments with CBD because they had heard about the wellness benefits, and now, I can say yes,” she said.

Gourmet Edibles in Seattle

The Thompson Seattle is behind two dinners where different strains of marijuana (this time with THC) were paired with food.

Last year, the property’s executive chef, Derek Simcik, prepared a seven-course meal which took place in a rented townhouse in West Seattle. He sourced the marijuana from the Lux Pot Shop, a local store that sells recreational marijuana, and served dishes such as beets with herring, scallops with apples and anise and veal cheeks with cauliflower and pecans. The event was free but limited to invited guests such as hotel regulars; the property held a similar dinner, also free, earlier this year.

Mr. Simcik said that he is planning several more of these meals — though this time they will be ticketed events open to the general public. “The dinners are fun and not at all about people getting stoned,” he said. “They’re meant to be an innovative way to show off marijuana.”